Valve.



vPA'IEN'IED NOV. 18,V 1906.

G. E. PRANQUIST. VALVE.

APPLoATIoN FILED APB.10.1905.

UNTTED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

VALVE.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 13, 1906.

Application filed April l0, 1905. Serial No. 254,656.

To atl?, whom,l t may concern:

Be it known that I, G-UsTAvE E. FRAN- QUIsT, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at the city of New York, in the borough of Manhattanand State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Valves, of which the following is a full, clear, and eXactdescription.

This invention relates to an improved seacock and foot-valve, and hasfor an object to provide in one piece of apparatus a sea-cock and a pumpfoot-valve and means whereby a strainer for the water passing throughsuch sea-cock or valve may be readily removed and cleaned while thesea-cock is securely closed.

This present improvement is peculiarlyT adapted for use in motor-boatsthe motors of which are frequently cooled by waterjacketing thecylinders, and the supply may be drawn from the water'in which the boatis running. A suitable sea-cock will be employed for opening and closingcommunication with such body of water, and if a pump is employed fordrawing in the water and obtaining circulation through the jacket asuitable foot-valve for such pump must also be furnished. A suitablestrainer should be interposed at some convenient point between thesea-cock and the pump for removing for- `eign substances and impuritiespassing in with the water. Considerable annoyance has arisen in thecleaning of such strainers and in disassembling the parts for theremoval of the strainer.

The present4 improvement vcontemplates combining in one piece of aparatus a valve which may be the foot-va ve of the pump and also servewhen properly seated as the' sea-cock and also combining the strainerfor the sea-cock with such apparatus, the entire device being soconstituted that the strainer may be readily removed .and cleaned andthe sea-cock may be closed prior to such removal.

Motor-boats are frequently sunk from their sea-cocks having been leftopen. One instance in which the boats so sink is when the water freezesin some part of the piping leading from the sea-cock and the pipesthereby being burst, which will admit water below the water-line of theboat and cause the same to sink.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification,Figure l is a longitudinal section of a portion of a motorboat, showinga mode of employing my invention, (some parts are, however, shown inelevation and Fig. 2 is a vertical section of a practical form ofembodiment of the present invention.

The foot-valve for the pump may be located at some convenient point-as,for instance, adjacent to the port for the entry of the water-and willof course close against its seat against the direction of the flow ofthewater, so that the stroke of the pump, tending to eXpel the waterthrough the port, will cause the valve to seat. The valve may normallyseat itself by gravity and when the pressure below is equal to thatabove the valve it may seat itself. A convenient form of valve is theball-valve, which is illustrated herein, and such valve to constitutethe seacock 4will have suitable means in connection with it for forcingit to its seat and holding it thereon. Suitable centering devices may beemployed for centering the ball on its seat should there b'e anythingtending to prevent its properly seating-as, for instance, thel presenceof some solid body or the rocking of the boat.` The centering andseating devices may be carried by a suitable screw,l the nut for whichmay be carried by a cage surrounding the ball and tending to prevent itfrom escaping too far from its seat, Such cage may be surrounded by asuitable screen for straining the water that passes through the openingsin the cage. By having the valvecontrolling screw pass through a nutcarried by this cage it will be possible to open the outerv casing ofthe device and remove-the strainer or screen, while the valve issecurely held to its seat. This operation of removing the strainer,cleaning the same, and replacing it will occupy but a short time and maybe accomplished without disarranging the different parts of the system,it merely being necessary to unfasten two or three screw connectionswithout injuring the piping or connected parts.

The boat (designated in a general way by 7) is shown provided with amotor, designated in a general way by ll and which may be of theexplosive order and be -provided with a water-jacketing device 12,having a supply conduit or pipe 13 14, and some suitable pump 15 maybeemployed for producing a continuous circulation through the same. Theskin 20 of the boat is provided at some suitable point below the normalwaterline with a port 2l, shielded by a cap 22, having inlet-openings23. A casing (designated IOO lIO

in a general way by is shown coupled to the pipe 13 and carried by apipe 26, fitted to an opening 27 inthe skin of the boat and forming theport 21. The pipe 26 may be provided, if desired, with a ange 28 formalging a better and more secure joint. The port and conduit 13 areconnected through the interior ofl the casing 25, and the pump or otherdevice will draw water from said port for the water-jacket, and suchwater may be discharged at some convenient point, as at 16.

For preventing back pressure from the pump and to hold the water in thejacket and conduit when the pump is inactive a suitable foot-valve willbe employed. The pipe 26 is shown provided at its juncture with thecasing with a valve-seat 30, facing toward the pump and away from theinlet-port. A ball or ball-valve `31 seats on said valve-seat by theback pressure, and if made in the form illustrated will normally seat bygravity. This valve is practically self-centering under normalconditions and will permit the admission of water whenever the pressurebelow it is greater` than the presssure above it; but when theconditions are reversed or the vpressures are equal the valve will findits seat and prevent a back or outward flow.

When the boat is not running, or if for any other reason it is desiredto prevent the admission of water, the port may be shut. When the boatis left idle in cold weather, the valve may be closed and all the waterpumped from the jacket. This prevents freezing `and springing a leak inthe boat. To shut ofi such iow, the ball may be positively seated, forwhich purpose the framework 32, in the form of a cage, may carry on itstop 34 a nut 35, the nut to receive a screw-threaded portion 36 of astem 37, having a hand-wheel 38, the stem passing through a suitablegland stuffing-box 39, carried by thefcover 44 of the casing andcarrying means for positively forcing said ball to its seat against theadmission from said port. The cage serves to keep the ball from gettingtoo far from its seat and if cast may have cored openings 33.

Under normal conditions the ball will be self-centering and willautomatically find its seat; but when it is desired to convert the ballfrom a foot-valve to a sea-cock the ball and the chance for missingrendered practimust rbe brought to its seat with precision cally ntl.For this purpose the ball must be positively centered and seated andthen positively pressed against its seat, for the accomplishment ofwhich the upper side of the ball may be engaged at several points aboutits vertical axis. In thel present instance a cup 40 is carried by thestem 37 and will engage the ball, as at 41, and when the cup is advancedby the screw the ball will be centered on its seat, pressed to the seatand given a rotation on its vertical axis, thereby grinding it againstits seat. By adjustment of the cup the inflow may be controlled, andwhen but partially raised the cup will prevent the ball leaving its seatto the full limits of the coniines of the cage. When it is desired thatthe valve be very sensitive to back pressure .and seat quickly, it maybe so confined. When there is opportunity for a large margin of play andit is desired not to restrict the entrance of water, the ball may bereleased-entirely from the control of the cup.

The cage 32 may be made substantially cylindrical upon its outersurface, and a cylindrical screen45, which may be fabric of suitablegage wire and size of mesh, may closely fit the cage and the waterpassing through the openings 33 therein be strained, preventing thepassage of undesirable matter into the pump or water-jacket, the saidcage or framework acting to support the screen. When it is desired toclean the strainer or screen, the hand-wheel 38 will be rotated,bringing the ball 31 to its seat and preventing further inlet of waterto the boat. The water may be shut olf in the pipe 13 by a suitable cockor may be pumped from the pipe. The casing may then be opened byremoving the hand-wheel 38 from the end of its stem and loosening thepacking in the gland 39. The cover 44 may then be unscrewed and removedfrom the casing and the gland from the stem 37, after which the screen45 may readily be removed, cleaned, and replaced, when the parts may bereassembled and then rthe sea-cock be again opened and the ball 31permitted to assume its other function, that of a foot-valve.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. In a sea-cock, a chamberhaving an opening extending through the hull of the boat, a ballcontained in said chamber and arranged to close said opening by gravity,and a centering-cup disposed to impinge against said ball and force itagainst said opening and means whereby the ball may be inspected withoutremoving the centeringcu In a sea-cock, a chamber extending through thehull of the boat, a ball pressed by gravity in a direction toy closesaid opening, means for forcibly retaining the ball against its seat, aframe surroundingsaid ball and having recesses therein, and a strainerremovably surrounding said frame and disposed to cover the recessestherein.

v3. In a sea-cock, a chamber extending through the hull of the boat, aball within said chamber and arranged to constitute a check-valve forsaid opening, `means for positively retaining the ball inclosingrelation, and a strainer removable from o erative relationwithout disturbing said bal 4. In a sea-cock, a chamber having anopening lextending through the hull of the boat, a ball arranged to bepressed in a direc- IOO tion to close said opening, and a strainer re- Iupon said enlargement, a valve-stem passing movable from its operativerelation without through said cover, and additional means for 5odisturbing said ball.

5. The combination with a casing having an inlet and an outlet, avalve-seat at said inlet, a removable cover, and a stuffing-box on suchcover, of a ball for seating on said valve-seat, a cage within saidcasing, surrounding said valve-seat and ball, having its outer walls ofcylindrical conformation, a top for said cage having an opening withscrewthreaded walls, means for engaging said ball, a valve-stem carryingsaid means, having a screw-threaded portion traversing saidscrewthreaded opening and passing through said stuling-box, and a hollowcylindrical screen surrounding said cage.

6. The combination with a casing having an inlet and an outlet, avalve-seat at said inlet, a removable cover, and a stuHing-box on 1 saidcover, of avalve for seating on said valveseat, a valve-stem carryingsaid valve, projecting through said stufIing-box and having -ascrew-threaded portion within the casing, a i framework within thecasing, surrounding j the valve and valve-seat and having screwthreadedmeans for engaging the screw-` threaded portion of the said stem, and aremovable screen supported by said ramework.

7. A sea-cock embodying a valve-seat, a casing surrounding the same andembodying a removable cover, a valve seating on said seat and having anactuating-stem pro] ecting through said cover and having a screw.threaded portion within said casing, screwi 1 holding the valve-stem inplace, whereby the i cover may be removed without disturbing l thevalve-stem, and a valve.

I 9. In a sea-cock, a casing having means whereby it is attached to thehull of a boat, i said casing Ahaving an enlargement at its l upperpart, a cover removably attached l upon said enlargement, a valve-stempassing through said cover, said valve-stem having a threaded portion,means engaging said l threaded portion for permanently holding thevalve-stem in place, whereby the cover l may be removed, and a valve.

l0. In a sea-cock, a casing having an upper enlarged portion, with aremovable cover, E a valvestem passing through said cover, saidvalve-stem being threaded, means for engaging said threaded portion,whereby the valvel stem is permanently held in position while l thecover may be removed, a valve, and a i strainer surrounding said valve,l 1l. In 'a sea-cock, a casing having an upper enlarged portion, with aremovable cover, a valve-stem passing through said cover, said ,lvalve-stem being threaded, means for engaging said threaded portion,whereby the valvestem is permanently held in position while i the covermay be removed, a valve, and a rel movable strainer surrounding saidvalve.

12. In a sea-cock, the combination of a casing, inlet and outlet pipesconnected thereto, a foot or check valve in said casing controlling theiiow of liquid form one passage to the other, a screen or perforateddiaphragm l interposed between the two passages and located in thecasing and through which the liquid must iiow, means for positivelyholding said valve closed and means whereby said diaphragm may beremoved and replaced while the valve is in its closed condition.

l In witness whereoic I subscribe my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

GUSTAVE E. FRANQUIST. Witnesses:

FRANK S. OBER, WALDo M. CHAPIN.

